I renewed my passport in Shanghai a few years back and on my application I wrote France as the place of issue. Cause technically consulates/embassies are part of their own countries. So she should re-apply and write China.
Seems like a hustle. Plus if you are from a non-English country you need to translate all the documents in Thai/English. A short holiday somewhere seems like the best option.
I landed in Bangkok today and the IO said it was her first time seeing a DTV. It's been 6 months already so it doesn't look like a lot of people got it.
They're going to ask you for proof of ongoing relationships with clients like invoices, proof of payment, your company bank statement etc. So if you don't have any clients it's gonna be hard.